Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-09

A female ostrich is years old before she
produces any eggs; but she will produce her
first crop Of feathers at the end of the first
year. Every seven months thereafter her
feathers are ready for market. She Will pro
duce about twenty-five very fine feathers and
u large number Of less valuable ones The
feathers are not pluCkei, but are cut off quite
close 20 the skln with large shears The op-
Grafton is said to lie painless: at least the men
who cut the feathers say so, and the ostrichas
have not contr1dicted it. A week after the
cutting the stubs dry and shrivel to such an
extent that they are easily removed.
The longest and fines; white feathers are
worth 81 piece at wholesale, and good ordi-
nary feathers 500 pound. The first clip
pings from young birds average $40 In value
After a farm is stocked, if all goes well, the
returns Oh the investment are large.
The Matching is mostly done 10y inCubators
This relieves the feminine Ostrich's mind from
much maternal responsibility. She can keep
her feathers slick. step around at leisure and
be As gIddy as she pleass. she even has time
TO vote and attend mission meetings If she
wants TO; and rs for gossip .oe can drink her
I'LL. Speaking of drink reIn.l.i, me that the
old idea th=t ostriches seldom or never re-
quire water has been exploded They not
only drink frequently, but they show a de
cided fondneSs TO- the bath. DR. Sketchlev
keeps q water trough in each pen large
enough 70 afford the birds ample bathing ia
cilities-
When 1t comes TO age these monster birds
are little short OF immortal NoboIy knows
Just what their average age is. In Africa
some of them are known to he over 50 Years
cd.
Corn and alfalfa constitute their food AL
falfa is Il beautiful plant Of the Luzerne tam
Gy. This menu causes the ostrich to produce
more feathers and Of a better quality than
any other diet.
The doctors farm is a sort Of colony. Each
male Is mated, and the pair are set up in
housekeeping with two acres of ground The
land is fenced of into lots of an acre each
The two birds are kept in one of these lots
until they have eaten of all the alfalfa when
they are transferred to the other, and are
kept alternating from one To the other all the
time
Foot races between the ostriches are inter
esting diversions. had the good fortune to
see one. We stood in a broad. open space
between the ostrich pens and the house The
door OF one Of the pens was opened, and in
response to the doctors call two ma Ssive birds
came running toward him. He caresSei them
moment and showed them a handful OF figs
They like figs overmuch. Two men then
threw nooses about their legs, and We walked
away a quarter of a mile Then at a signal
frcm us the birds We're rcleased, and the race
began. And what race No professional
runners on human legs could ever dream Of
making such time. At every stride they COW
cred from eleven 10 fourteen feet Their great
necks were stretched forward and upward to
their longest limit and their wings were
working like the arms Of a powerful engine
Like the wind when it pushes the storm cloud
they came. They kept nearly abreast for
about half the distance, and then one began
to forge ahead He increased his lead till
within Il short distance Of Us, when he glanced
back anG saw that his competitor was con-
siderably i'll the rear. Then he slackencd his
pace, relaxed his neck. and Jogging up 10 the
doctor got his figs and several well earned
careSseS.
Ornlthologists say that the stride Of the
ostrich when feeding is from 20 to >. inches,
when walking for pleasure ri inches and
when fleeing in terror from lli5 to Il feet.
Racing for figs stimulates them TO do their
best in making time. Certainly they could
take no longer strides under any circum-
stances than | saw them take
Near Anaheim, twent five miles from this
city, on the Southern Pacific railroad, there
is another ostrich farm MARY SoMERS